For a wide variety of people learning English in the United States—referred to as multilingual learners (MLs) in this report—community colleges provide access to key educational programs. These include adult education English as a Second Language (AE ESL) programs, such as beginning through advanced ESL and integrated English literacy and civics education (IELCE), as well as credit-bearing ESL programs that prepare students for entry into college-level coursework. Although little is known about this growing population of students and the factors that motivate their enrollment, research indicates that barriers to access and persistence disproportionately impede multilingual students’ postsecondary success.
This report describes findings from a three-year, mixed-methods exploratory study that examined policies and practices impacting multilingual learners (MLs) enrolled at City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), a seven-college district located in the country’s third-largest city. It offers insights for community college practitioners, policymakers, and researchers about the goals and backgrounds of MLs in different programs; the experiences of MLs as they are understood by administrators, staff, instructors, and students; promising approaches to serving this population, as well as remaining challenges. The authors begin with a discussion of MLs in community colleges, followed by a description of the research setting and activities. They then present descriptive analyses of student characteristics and select academic outcomes for AE ESL students, as well as qualitative findings, and conclude with considerations for policy and practice.